In 2022-23 Historic England commissioned several photographers to work with local communities to capture images representative of their local high streets. This formed part of the Picturing High Streets project. In Chester, Suzanne St Clare was commissioned as photographer. She wrote the following text to describe her work on the project: “My response to the residency was to work creatively with business owners trading on the historical Rows in Chester.
Initially we started by finding out about how these business owners came to Chester, their community, challenges, the quirkiness of independent trading and their love and passion for this beautiful, historic city...." Three sets of images were created as a result of the residency. Suzanne St Clare wrote the following text about this set: "In the second year, we took inspiration from photographers such as Gregory Crewdson and Julia Fullerton-Batten, who are known for their cinematic style and use of studio lights. Together we created a series of images that document the characters who make up the shops on the Rows. Most of those who took part would often speak of their dissatisfaction relating to what they felt was a lack of support, and how powerless they felt to be able to trade profitably. Yet they were the captains of their business, and from the outside what could look like positions of power. The intention of these images was to portray the traders in a way that acknowledged that status, where they looked powerful and showed the beauty of the Rows retail space and the detail of their surroundings in a positive and authentic way." The photographer wrote the following text about this image: "Niki Davies, owner, holding sledgehammer wearing T shirt with logo ‘Warrior Pain is certain, suffering is optional’. Niki opened the business after her husband had died. The shop was empty when she took it on and it was in a poor state with pigeon droppings and some of the original features obscured by plasterboard. As it was all she could afford she took on the lease and did the repairs herself. She spoke about how she came down one Sunday morning and took out the temporary wall with a sledgehammer filling 16 bags of rubble. Niki has found it a struggle to trade on the Rows but keeps on going giving a personal approach to her customers. The image represents her strong and independent attitude. [Niki says:] 'I bought my first Health Food Store in Heswall in 2010, after my husband died, and then moved to Chester 4 years later and I have been trading on the Rows ever since. I say to everyone I’m a rubbish businesswoman but I’m 100% honest. The building was in a bit of a mess when I came here with pigeon droppings everywhere. Upstairs was particularly bad with the original old wooden beam hidden behind a room with thick plaster board walls. One Sunday I came down with a pickaxe and sledgehammer, set to it and filled 38 rubble bags. It is tough to trade on the Rows. Local people are still astounded there is a shop here. New signs have gone up on the other rows, but we are forgotten about. Can we have something please? We feel forgotten about, and it is the rows that bring people to Chester. We need more signs and the Council and Business Improvement Development to be more proactive.
I have fab neighbours. We are a really good community that looks after each other and I would not change a thing.'" Since this commission, the Rows Capital Improvements project has enhanced more than 100 properties associated with the Rows to improve access and footfall as part of the High Street Heritage Action Zones Programme. This has included improvements to the lighting, paintwork, balustrading and stall boards, investment in marketing the Rows as well as tours and other activities, and the production of a Business Guide aimed at local traders.
'Picturing England's High Streets' commision by Open Eye Gallery, Historic England and Photoworks.
This is part of the Job: HEC01/128/01/06/01 Picturing High Streets Photographer Residencies - Suzanne St Clare: Chester, Portraits of Traders; within the Volume: HEC01/128/01/06 Picturing High Streets Photographer Residencies - Suzanne St Clare: Chester; within the Sub Series: HEC01/128/01 Picturing High Streets: Photographer Residencies; within the Series: HEC01/128 Picturing High Streets; within the Collection: HEC01 Historic England
© Suzanne St Clare
Photographer: St Clare, Suzanne
People Posed
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